S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5538
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 19, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to
   the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT in relation to establishing the Beacon School  Pilot  Program  in
   New York city schools
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 the "New York City Beacon School Act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. Gun violence and gang activity has become a
 severe  issue in the United States as a whole, specifically in New York,
 Los Angeles, Detroit, and Chicago.  In  most  cases,  youth  join  gangs
 because  they  feel  they  need  protection,  they  want to be accepted,
 respected or all of the above. Through various youth development  initi-
 atives  and  programs  we can create an environment that will meet these
 needs for young people in urban communities and thus reduce gang and gun
 violence. Beacon offers New York city youth with a place to grow through
 challenging activities, caring relationships, and  opportunities.    The
 youth  development  quality  of the Beacon environment results in higher
 self-esteem among youth, increased leadership skills, and higher  expec-
 tations  by staff and youth for behavior and performance. Beacon reduces
 the likelihood of students to cut classes, bullying,  and  other  crimes
 against persons or property. Beacon also provides important services and
 activities  for  neighborhood adults including sports, physical fitness,
 basic  education,  English-language  instruction,  GED  preparation  and
 computer  instruction.  Beacon creates cohesion between youths, parents,
 community organizations and businesses, engaging  the  community  in  an
 effort to reduce gang and gun violence.
   § 3. Purpose. The purpose of this act is to provide all public elemen-
 tary and secondary schools located in New York city the structure, flex-
 ibility  and  support necessary to operate under the Beacon school model
 to:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD07281-01-1

 A. 5538                             2
 
   1. enable public schools and community partners, including public  and
 private  agencies,  community  based  organizations,  local  government,
 institutions of higher education, families, after school program provid-
 ers, summer program providers, museums, libraries,  and  other  cultural
 institutions  and  civic  organizations, to leverage their resources and
 prepare the community they serve to compete in today's global economy;
   2. reduce the incidents of gun and gang violence in the New York  city
 community  by providing the activities and education necessary to engage
 the community; and
   3.  provide  funding  for  the  expansion,  and  the  continuation  of
 results-driven partnerships that align numerous funding streams, includ-
 ing  public  and  private funding, and leverage existing funding to make
 every New York city public school into a Beacon school.
   § 4. Definitions. As used in this act the following terms  shall  have
 the following meanings:
   1. "Beacon" shall mean a community center located in public elementary
 and  secondary  school  buildings,  offering  a  range of activities and
 services to participants of all ages, before and after  school,  in  the
 evenings, and on weekends.
   2.  "Host  school" shall mean the point of entry for all Beacon activ-
 ities located within a neighborhood.
   3. "Neighborhood" shall mean the community zoned to the public school.
   4. "Community based organization" shall mean any organization incorpo-
 rated for the purpose of  providing  services  or  other  assistance  to
 economically  or  socially  disadvantaged  persons within its designated
 community. Such organization shall have a board of  directors  of  which
 more  than half of such members shall reside in such designated communi-
 ty.
   5. "Community advisory council" shall mean the advisory council estab-
 lished by the host school.
   6. "Neighborhood organization/institution for profit or not-for-profit
 organization" shall mean any such organization which had  been  approved
 by  the  host  school  and  advisory  council to participate in programs
 offered at the Beacon center.
   § 5. The Beacon school model. 1. Every public elementary and secondary
 school shall be empowered to  use  funds  whether  public,  private,  or
 otherwise,  to  transform the host school into a Beacon school, in order
 to: (i) improve student achievement in the school;  (ii)  create  incen-
 tives  to grow and sustain community partnerships so that the school and
 community work together to  improve  student  academic  achievement  and
 social  and  emotional well-being; and (iii) decrease youth gang and gun
 violence in the community.
   2. Programs under the Beacon school model shall  include  but  not  be
 limited  to  recreational programs, social services, educational enrich-
 ment, and vocational activities.
   3. All Beacon schools shall  address  youth  development  programming,
 academic support and enhancement, parent involvement and family support,
 and  neighborhood  safety and community building as determined necessary
 by the host school and community advisory council.
   § 6. Beacon advisory council. 1. Each Beacon shall develop  and  main-
 tain  an  advisory  council  as  defined  in  this  section to guide the
 programming and activities of the Beacon center.
   2. The council shall provide governance and serve as an organizing and
 market vehicle for participation in the Beacon center.
   3. The goal of the council shall be to enable  the  Beacon  center  to
 maintain  close  ties to the host school and the community to strengthen

 A. 5538                             3
 
 the focus on  supporting  educational  achievement  and  other  positive
 outcomes for youth and families.
   4.  Council members shall be volunteer representatives from the commu-
 nity committed to participating in the discussion, planning, and  imple-
 mentation  of  ideas, activities, and programs that further the goals of
 the Beacon center in the five areas of: (i) leadership development, (ii)
 academic enrichment, (iii) family strengthening, (iv) personal  capacity
 building in community residents and (v) the reduction of violence.
   5.  The  council  shall maintain a membership which is consistent with
 the Beacon Middle School  Initiative  launched  by  the  New  York  City
 Department of Youth and Community Development.
   §  7. Duties of the council. The council is charged with the following
 tasks: participate in the assessment and development  of  Beacon  center
 programming  needs;  assist  with  initial  and  regularly updated needs
 assessments to guide the  development  of  Beacon  programming  that  is
 responsive  to  priority  community  needs and interests; participate in
 evaluating the effectiveness of Beacon services  and  recommend  program
 improvements;  conduct  ongoing efforts to elicit evaluative information
 from residents on Beacon center activities and services via satisfaction
 surveys,  focus  groups,  interviews,  and  other  evaluation   methods;
 complete  advisory  council  training  designed  to build capability for
 leadership and self-monitoring; conduct a minimum of 1  council  meeting
 per  month  for  a total of at least 12 meetings per year; assist in the
 review and planning of Beacon center programming; develop support in the
 community for Beacon center activities and convey  ideas  and  feedback;
 identify  and facilitate needed linkages and promote cultural competence
 in services; work directly with the youth division of the  local  police
 department  and  the  New  York  city  department of juvenile justice to
 implement programming and activities to address gang/gun/youth violence,
 youth re-entry, and methods for educational/vocational success.
   § 8. The city of New York shall provide annual funding to support  the
 implementation  of  Beacon  schools. This funding shall be matched in an
 amount equal to that provided in an appropriation by the state.
   § 9. This act shall take effect on the three hundred  sixty-fifth  day
 after it shall have become a law.